Beginner Wheel Throwing Thursday Morning Course | 6 Weeks

6-Week Beginner Pottery Wheel Course

A relaxed, hands-on pottery wheel course designed for complete beginners and those who have tried the wheel before and want to strengthen their foundations.

Over six sessions, you’ll learn the fundamentals of wheel throwing, including centering clay, opening, pulling walls, throwing cylinders and bowls, trimming, making and attaching handles, refining your work and glazing. As your confidence grows, you’ll also have opportunities to experiment with your own ideas and develop greater independence at the wheel.

You don’t need to be artistic, naturally creative or “good with your hands.” Wheel throwing is a skill learned through practice, repetition and patience. Expect muddy hands, a few wonky pots and plenty of satisfying moments when the clay finally starts doing what you want it to do.

By the end of the course, you’ll have experienced the full pottery process and created your own collection of handmade, functional pottery.

Course Details

When: Thursday mornings, 6pm–8pm
Duration: 6 sessions / 12 hours
Course Dates: Select your course date when booking
Skill Level: Beginner — no previous wheel experience required
Tuition Fee: $290 per course
Minimum Age: 16 years

Your 6-Week Wheel Journey

Week 1 — Finding Your Centre
Learn the foundations of throwing, including how to centre, open and pull the clay. You’ll aim to create three cylinders while becoming comfortable with the wheel and developing good throwing habits.

Week 2 — From Cylinders to Mugs
Learn how to trim and refine your cylinders, then make and attach handles to transform your pieces into handmade mugs.

Week 3 — Throwing Bowls
Build on your throwing skills by learning how to create bowls. You’ll explore shape, curve and proportion while aiming to throw four different bowls.

Week 4 — Explore & Create
Put your new skills into practice with more freedom at the wheel. Experiment with the forms you’ve learned, refine your technique and begin creating pieces that feel more like your own.

Week 5 — Make Your Mark
Trim and refine your bowls, then explore ways to give your pottery its own identity through surface details, form and your own signature design ideas.

Week 6 — Glaze & Finish
Bring your collection to life with glaze. You’ll learn how to prepare your pieces and apply studio glazes before your work heads into the kiln for its final firing. Additional specialty colours may incur an extra cost.

What’s Included

• Pottery wheel tuition and demonstrations

• Use of studio pottery wheels

• Use of studio tools during class

• Glazing instruction

• Bisque and glaze firing for up to 5 pieces is included in your course fee. If you’d like to fire additional pieces, you’re welcome to do so. Extra pieces start from $10 each, which includes both bisque and glaze firing, plus studio glaze.

• Access to additional practice sessions by arrangement with your tutor

Extra Practice Time

Learning the wheel is all about repetition, so you’re encouraged to practise between classes. The more time you spend at the wheel, the faster the movements begin to feel natural.

Practice sessions are available by arrangement with your tutor:

Wednesdays | 10am–12pm
Saturdays | 1pm–3pm

Clay & Studio Materials

Clay is an additional cost and is not included in the course fee. A 10kg bag costs approximately $55, including shipping to Blenheim, although prices may vary depending on the clay type and supplier.

If you’re enrolling with a friend, you’re welcome to share a 10kg bag if you don’t expect to use a full bag each.

Only Pottery Embassy-approved clay and glazes may be used in the studio. Unsuitable materials can damage kilns, equipment and other students’ work.

What to Bring

Please wear comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting clay on, closed-toe shoes and tie back long hair. Loose jewellery should be removed before using the wheel. Pottery Embassy is not responsible for damage to clothing or personal belongings.

5L bucket with a secure lid: Your bucket is used to collect clay water, slip and clay waste during class. Clay must never be poured down studio sinks because it can settle and block plumbing.

You’ll take your bucket home after each session. Once the clay has settled, the clear water can be carefully disposed of over a suitable area of soil on your property, away from drains and waterways. The settled clay can be saved and reclaimed for future use. Your tutor can show you how the reclaiming process works.

40L Storage bin with a secure lid: This becomes your personal drying, storage and transport box. You’ll take your pottery home after each session and bring it back to your next class.

The container creates a controlled drying environment so your pottery dries slowly and evenly until it reaches the leather-hard stage, when it is firm enough to trim, carve, refine or attach handles.

Keep the container in a cool place away from direct sunlight, heaters and other heat sources. Approximately 12 hours before your next class, remove or open the lid so your pottery can gradually firm up.

Sturdy reusable carry bag: Bring a strong tote or carry bag capable of safely holding at least 10kg of clay.

Apron, old towel and cleaning cloth: Pottery gets messy, and these will be useful throughout the course and during end-of-class cleaning.

Cleaning & Studio Care

Cleaning is an important part of pottery and of working in a shared studio. The final 15 minutes of each class are reserved for cleaning.

Students are expected to clean their wheel, wash and return tools, wipe down their workspace and leave the studio ready for the next group.

Studio Guidelines

Please arrive on time, as important demonstrations and safety information may be given at the beginning of class. Missed demonstrations or class time cannot be made up.

Clearly label all work. Unlabelled pieces may not be fired and may be recycled.

Keep phones on silent during tuition.

Children and additional guests cannot participate in classes unless enrolled or pre-approved. Friends and family are welcome to briefly visit, say hello and see what you’ve been creating, but wheels, tools and tuition are reserved for enrolled students.

Health & Safety

Pottery involves clay, tools, equipment and high-temperature kilns. Participants must follow all studio instructions and safety guidelines.

Closed-toe footwear is required, long hair must be tied back, and short nails are strongly recommended. Long nails can gouge wet clay and create weak points that may contribute to cracking or warping.

If you have an injury, medical condition, allergy or physical limitation that may affect your ability to participate safely, please let your instructor know before attending.

The Nature of Pottery

Pottery is a wonderfully rewarding craft, but it is also unpredictable. Clay changes throughout drying, bisque firing, glazing and final firing, and some variables are outside our control.

Every piece is handled with care, but pottery can crack, warp, break or produce unexpected glaze results. By enrolling in a Pottery Embassy course or workshop, you acknowledge and accept these possibilities as part of the ceramic process.

Refunds, credits or replacement pieces cannot be provided for work that does not survive drying or firing. If an issue occurs with your work, we’ll keep you informed where possible.

The goal of this course isn’t perfection. It’s to learn good techniques, enjoy the process and build the skills and confidence to continue developing as a potter.

Think of it like learning to play the guitar — after six lessons you wouldn’t expect to perform a concert. Pottery is the same. Practice builds muscle memory, control and confidence.

Finished Work & Collection

Finished pottery generally takes approximately 6–8 weeks to complete due to the time required for controlled drying, bisque firing, glazing and final firing. High humidity or other studio conditions may occasionally extend this timeframe.

We’ll contact you when your work is ready for collection. If it has been more than eight weeks and you haven’t received a notification, please get in touch.

Once notified, please collect your work within one month due to limited studio storage. Uncollected work may be recycled or donated. Shipping can be arranged where available at an additional cost.

Attendance, Cancellations & Transfers

The course is progressive, with each session building on skills learned in previous weeks, so we strongly recommend attending all six sessions.

Missed classes, no-shows and late arrivals are non-refundable and cannot be made up or transferred to another session. If you know you’ll miss a class, please let us know and we’ll do our best to explain what was covered so you’re ready to rejoin the following week.

If Pottery Embassy needs to cancel or reschedule a class, an alternative will be arranged.

Because class sizes are limited, cancellations and transfers are handled carefully. Approved refunds are subject to a 20% administration fee. Cancellations within 14 days of the course or workshop start date may not be eligible for a refund unless your place can be filled by another participant.

Transfer requests should be made at least one month before the course start date and are subject to availability.

Private workshop bookings are non-refundable because the session is reserved specifically for your group.

Group Bookings

The person making a group booking is responsible for ensuring all participants understand the course requirements, studio guidelines and terms, including the unpredictable nature of the pottery process.

Photography & Media

Photos and videos taken during classes, including images of student work, may occasionally be used for Pottery Embassy marketing and social media. If you prefer not to be photographed, please let us know.

Payment Plans

Weekly payment options may be available. If Afterpay or Klarna isn’t suitable, please contact Pottery Embassy before your course begins to discuss an alternative payment arrangement.

Can I Continue After the Course?

Absolutely. Pottery develops through regular practice and repetition, and the more time you spend at the wheel, the more natural the process becomes.

After completing your beginner course, you can continue through another class, studio practice sessions or — our recommended next step — Pottery Embassy Studio Membership.

Membership is ideal if you’d like pottery to become a regular part of your routine. It gives you more opportunities to practise independently, spend time at the wheel, build confidence and develop your own creative style without enrolling in a new course each time.

Limited spaces are available. No experience is needed — just come ready to get your hands muddy, learn something new and enjoy the process of making something completely your own.

By enrolling, you acknowledge the nature of learning ceramics and agree to Pottery Embassy’s Studio Guidelines & Policies. Please read our FAQ section too for more information.